by Marilla Mulwane

Created on: January 21, 2013

The World Ends With You is an RPG-style game for the Nintendo DS. The game comes from the makers of Kingdom Hearts, but only bears a vague resemblance to one game in the series, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, in that characters have lost their memories and have to fight to get them back. Of course, it is much more complicated than that. The characters from The World Ends With You made an appearance in the latest Kingdom Hearts game,

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, for the Nintendo 3DS.

Story

Players control Neku, a boy who wakes up in Shibuya with no memory. He ends up in a game, called the Reaper's Game, in which he must fight monsters called Noise and fulfill tasks before time is up. Fail to complete the task, and face erasure. Neku teams up with various others in the same predicament as him. As players complete tasks and make their way through the game, they learn more about what is actually going on, who the Reaper's are, why no one can see them, and who they once were.

The best reason to play The World Ends With You is for the story. It is by far one of the best stories told in a video game because it is different. Yes, some of it is predictable. The characters are compelling and players really feel for them. Play the game to learn the story because giving away the plot ruins the fun of the game.

Game play

Players control Neku and run around Shibuya fighting Noise and completing tasks. It is very simple and doesn't change much throughout the game. The idea of fighting, running around, fighting does get tiring and boring after awhile, especially for players that like to grind to level up. The story makes it worth continuing. Besides fighting, players can read the thoughts of other people and influence their decisions. This plays an important part in the game. Characters also shop for food and fashion, which helps to up stats.

Battle system

The battle system in The World Ends With You is very difficult to master. Battles take place on both screens. Players control Neku on the bottom screen. Using the stylus, players swipe and tap the screen to perform attacks or other spells. Neku gains these abilities through pins that are equipped for battle. On the top screen, Neku's partner fights the same enemies. Players must use the directional buttons to perform attacks and play a card game to unleash a special attack. This is done all at the same time. It is difficult, to say the least. The best advice is to learn the arrows on the top screen and press them while looking at the bottom screen and controlling Neku. Luckily, there is an options setting where the computer controls the partner on the top screen, but the computer isn't always that great a fighter.

Graphics

At the time of its release, The World Ends With You had great graphics. Now, they seem a little dated. The best thing about the graphics is the design of the city. It is modeled after the real Shibuya and embodies the culture there. Cutscenes are simple non-moving cutouts of the characters standing together having conversations. Does it matter that the graphics don't hold up to what is possible today? Not at all. It looks good. That's enough.

Replay value

The World Ends With You doesn't have much replay value. Once the game is complete, there is little else to do. There are some secret missions that will reveal a tiny bit more of the story but that's it. The game can be played on higher difficulty at any time, even during the first play through. Really, the only reason to play the game again is if the player finally got the hang of using both screens in battle and to enjoy the story again. Do play The World Ends With You at least once. It won't disappoint.

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